It’s time to mandate vaccination in our schools
There is a disconnect between what the Ford government is telling us and reality
When the Doug Ford government finally announced a return to in-person learning for students across Ontario, the relief on the part of students, parents and teachers was palpable.
The belief that most kids need this return to in-person learning is universal among those with intimate knowledge of education, including mental-health experts.
The province promised a return that would be “as normal as possible.” Obviously, there would be a wide range of challenges to reintroduce person-to-person contact in our schools. The paramount issue is safety. Parents wonder if their children are safe. Teachers wonder if they are safe. There is a great deal of stress and anxiety around this issue. The government assures us that schools are safe. Protocols are in place. Classes are physically distanced.
The reality is that these protocols are easier to talk about than to implement. There is a real sense that our students and education workers are guinea pigs, canaries in the coal mine. We think it will be OK, but we don’t know.
What we do know is that schools have now become a significant source of COVID-19 transmission. In the week of Sept. 20, 2020, schools were responsible for seven per cent of COVID transmission. In the same week of 2021, that number jumped to 20 per cent. This doesn’t mean that schools will be the source of our next wave, but it does raise alarm bells.
In terms of safety, there is a disconnect between what the Ford government is telling us and the reality that educators and students are facing in their day-today experiences. Protocols are sloppy at best, enforcement is even more so. We’ve all seen the ads and news stories which show pictures of classes which are physically distanced, desks spread far apart, airy and open classrooms. These depictions are not real.
The reality is that most classes are stacked to their maximum numbers. In the words of one teacher, “social distancing is a complete lie. Period. It’s not a thing.” A science teacher said “social distancing is non-existent. I have two classes of 30 in my little science lab. They are pretty much sitting shoulder to shoulder.” Another teacher said “there is no social distancing taking place — in hallways, front foyers, outside — and having 30-plus kids in classes doesn’t allow for much social distancing.” Another teacher told me “it looks like Woodstock every day at a local coffee shop near the school.” Social distancing is just not happening in and around secondary schools.
The myth of distancing is part of a bigger picture of safety protocols which some teachers have dubbed “performative hygiene.” This means that while there are protocols in place, they are largely ineffective, but suggest to the public that schools are safe.
Masking protocols are a good example. Masks are expected to be worn in most scenarios inside schools. The reality is another thing.
One teacher said “I am constantly reminding students to have their masks over their mouths and noses. Some walk around without them on and when you ask them to put them on they give attitude or pull them up but wait for my back to be turned and then pull them down again.” Another said, “enforcement is even worse. I am constantly telling students to put their mask back on or on properly. Over and over again. And there are no consequences for not doing it.”
Other examples include the rule that says students are not allowed to turn around in their desks. Nor are presentations by students allowed, even though the presenter would be a reasonable distance from the seated students. Yet they are sitting in packed classrooms, having lunch together, unsupervised and mingling.
It’s time to dispense with the clearly unenforceable mandate to physically distance, along with the “performative hygiene” protocols. A return to normal is the right path to take. Teachers are struggling mightily with the various decrees around program delivery. Kids are overwhelmed by the pace and volume of curriculum being hammered at them. It’s time for the Ford government to mandate vaccines in high schools and a return to the regular semester system. The government needs to act now so that this change can take place in February, with clear and manageable safety protocols. Our students need and deserve a return to a proper education.